THE BLACK HAND FORUM

[quote="jimmyb"]Great topic. I've been trying to find out more about this guy for years. I talked to a couple of Pizza Connection investigators a few years ago, but they didn't remember too much about D'Aquanno. I always found it curious that he was "unindicted co-conspirator" in the Pizza case. I asked a prosecutor friend to explain what that means and they told me usually it means the person cooperated in some fashion and received immunity. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's what happened with D'Aquanno, I"m just saying it's intriguing.

In terms of Ronsisvalle, I think B. describes it perfectly: "[he] had very limited English and was pretty much just a gopher, so it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't completely understand the story or was simply unable to express it coherently in English."

I think that's why we need to decode his testimony regarding the Buccellatos. The idea that the Buccellatos would help Joe Bonanno makes sense to me. The Bonanno family in Tuscon told me JB never had any problems with the Buccellatos. In fact, he was especially proud to be don Felice Buccellato's godson. We know about the infamous Palermo drug summit in '57, but the Castellammaresi held their own mini-summit with JB in CDG. Cola Buccellato and Vincenzo Rimi (Nino Buccellato's father in law) were at the meeting. Even Gaspare Magaddino sided with JB during the 60s Bonanno civil war.

It's also possible Pino D'Aquanno was related in some way to the Buccellatos. If you look at the Detroit Buccellato murders (1917-1918), you have Felice, Giuseppe and Pietro. Felice and Giuseppe had a D'Aquanno brother in law and so did Pietro.
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I've always been under the impression that the guys back in Sicily were on Joe Bonanno's side. His former underboss Frank Garofalo and cousin John Bonventre were both living back there at the time and appeared to be well-connected to what was going on in Sicily. There was speculation at the time that JB was hiding in Sicily even, and though that doesn't seem to have been the case at any point, it shows that he would have been safe there.

That sounds very possible that D'Aquanno was related to the Buccellatos, which is why I feel like Giuseppe Buccellato might be the missing link in this conversation. JD has written about Joe Buccellato so he would be a good one to chime in on this if he knows anything.

As for the unindicted co-conspirator bit, you see it fairly regularly with mob cases. Usually it means they have circumstantial evidence linking someone to a criminal conspiracy but not enough evidence to charge them, let alone convict. I believe both Nicky Scarfo and Vic Amuso were unindicted co-conspirators in the recent Scarfo Jr. case because they both advised and/or approved of the scam, but there was nothing that directly linked them. It sounds like it was a similar situation with D'Aguanno.

Great topic. I've been trying to find out more about this guy for years. I talked to a couple of Pizza Connection investigators a few years ago, but they didn't remember too much about D'Aquanno. I always found it curious that he was "unindicted co-conspirator" in the Pizza case. I asked a prosecutor friend to explain what that means and they told me usually it means the person cooperated in some fashion and received immunity. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's what happened with D'Aquanno, I"m just saying it's intriguing.

In terms of Ronsisvalle, I think B. describes it perfectly: "[he] had very limited English and was pretty much just a gopher, so it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't completely understand the story or was simply unable to express it coherently in English."

I think that's why we need to decode his testimony regarding the Buccellatos. The idea that the Buccellatos would help Joe Bonanno makes sense to me. The Bonanno family in Tuscon told me JB never had any problems with the Buccellatos. In fact, he was especially proud to be don Felice Buccellato's godson. We know about the infamous Palermo drug summit in '57, but the Castellammaresi held their own mini-summit with JB in CDG. Cola Buccellato and Vincenzo Rimi (Nino Buccellato's father in law) were at the meeting. Even Gaspare Magaddino sided with JB during the 60s Bonanno civil war.

It's also possible Pino D'Aquanno was related in some way to the Buccellatos. If you look at the Detroit Buccellato murders (1917-1918), you have Felice, Giuseppe and Pietro. Felice and Giuseppe had a D'Aquanno brother in law and so did Pietro.

Yeah there are a lot of Buccellatos in California. A lot of relatives left Detroit in the 40s and 50s and moved out West, including my great grandmother. I even spent time growing up in SoCal. My dad and brother still live out there. But I had aunts and uncles, and numerous cousins too. At this point I've never even met a lot of the cousins out West.

I can't help but assume there is some connection between Giuseppe Buccellato coming to the US around the late 1950's and this talk about D'Aguanno and the Buccellatos in Sicily. It seems that both Buccellato and D'Aguanno came over after the books had closed (D'Aguanno came over later, it sounds like) but were either made or "recognized" as Bonanno members before the books opened again in the 1970's. Many Bonanno members, especially the ones from Castellammare, kept ties to Sicily but it would seem having someone right off the boat like Joe Buccellato would help facilitate a stronger relationship, especially if they were requesting assistance from other Buccellatos in Sicily.

Ronsisvalle (one of the strangest Italian surnames I've seen honestly... what's up with that?) had very limited English and was pretty much just a gopher, so it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't completely understand the story or was simply unable to express it coherently in English.

Another question would be how Gaspare Magaddino might fit in with this considering he was a high-ranking member of the Castellammarese family who came to the US and got involved in the war.

yeah, I found him somewhere also. he was a made member of the knickerbocker avenue decina

indelicato, catania family boss in the 50s had a brother who was a gambino family made guy. indelicato's brother was the main contact between catania e and the usa.

I'm absolutely definite on the name being D'Aguanno. It looks like you guys identified him quickly. The way he's described is like he was meeting only with zips and Sicilian members.

I always wondered what happened to him. The other guy prominent in Ronsisvalle's testimony was Felice Puma who died in the 1980s as well. Ronsisvalle never mentioned the name of his friend who told him to go to Knickerbocker Avenue. It would be interesting to know if it was somebody connected to Catania mafia family or if it was one of the other mafia type groups in Catania.

Buccellato is a common name in Castellammare del Golfo. There's tens of families with this name all descended from the same ancestor. Many Buccellato's and more generally castellammarese live in California as I discovered in past couple of weeks when I started to wonder why Baldassare Amato's mother was living in California when she died earlier this year.

I believe when they refer to the Buccellato family, they are indeed referring to the Cast. Del Golfo Family there, not just a blood family of Buccellato relatives. I'd like to hear what Jimmy B thinks.

[quote="B."]There is a Giuseppe Daguanno/D'Aguanno born in 1926 who died in Brooklyn in 1989. No idea if that fits his age range, though.

All I know about him is Ronsisvalle's confusing testimony where he seems to say that he was brought over from Sicily by the Buccellatto's who were helping Joe Bonanno during the Bonanno war and that "D'Aquana" decided to stay.

Has he ever been mentioned by any of the made Bonannos who informed/flipped?[/quote]

Ronsisvalle mentioned him in his testimony but "D´Aquana" is a total mystery. I can´t recall his name ever being mentioned elsewhere, other then on a Bonanno memberchart list from mid 1980s. I am under the impression that "D´Aquana" requested men from Sicily by calling the Buccellato family to have them fight against the Bonanno loyalists. That´s how I understand it to be by reading Ronsisvalle´s testimony.

Here´s a quote from the testimony in regards to "D´Aquana":

"~ What happened when you went to Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn?
A. I was one day at the Cafe Sport early 1967, '68--'68, early '68. I meet a gentleman, Pino D'Aquana, and there was talk, a cup of coffee, and I told him I come from Sicily and make some kind of relationship, and I mentioned the name of the man from Sicily. Goes by a couple of weeks. About three weeks. The man comas toward me in Knickerbocker Avenue. He was more friendly with me.
~ This is D'Aquana that was more friendly with you?
A. Yes, sir.
~ Mr. D'Aquana?
A. Mr. D´Aquana. We have coffee and things, and he make me meet the first man from him was Mr. Peter Licata.
~ Before we get to that. who was Pino D"Aquana?
A. Pino D'Aquana was a man who Mr. Bonanno have a war against in New York, some kind of war. He make a phone call to the family, Buccellati family, in Castellarmmare del Golfo, Sicily. Mr. Buccellati send over a dozen men, all hit men, to help him. The gentleman was Mr. Pino D'Aquana."

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Toto, are you sure his name was D´Aguanno? Is that a common Sicilian name and D´Aquana is not? If his name was D´Aguanno, B may have found our guy.

Edit - Yes, found out that this Giuseppe Daguanno (B mentioned) lived in Bushwick, which coincides well with what Ronsisvalle said. Now, we´re at least a little bit closer to the real "Pino D´Aquana".

There is a Giuseppe Daguanno/D'Aguanno born in 1926 who died in Brooklyn in 1989. No idea if that fits his age range, though.

All I know about him is Ronsisvalle's confusing testimony where he seems to say that he was brought over from Sicily by the Buccellatto's who were helping Joe Bonanno during the Bonanno war and that "D'Aquana" decided to stay.

Has he ever been mentioned by any of the made Bonannos who informed/flipped?

Well, his name is almost definitely not D'Aquana. Instead it should be D'Aguanno. He's mentioned in pizza connection investigation and then nothing after. Does anybody know what happened to this guy?